Detachable heel



April 1938. o. TEODORINI v 2,115,050

DETACHABLE HEEL Filed June 2, 1936 lZa/ I INVENTOR /6 19 Gino/Y0 7Z-"o00e/N/ ATTORNE Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DETACHABLE HEEL Company, Limited, Granada,

Indies British West Application June 2, 1936, Serial No; 83,008

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the heels of shoes and particularly to a detachable heel; and the object of the invention is to provide a heel construction of the class described having means for detachably coupling the same with the heel portion of a shoe by the movement of one part or section of the heel in two opposed directions in the operation of coupling and uncoupling the heel with the shoe; a further object being to provide the shoe with a heel portion having a plurality of coupling sockets arranged about the outer edges of the heel portion of the shoe with a corresponding number and arrangement of coupling pins on the heel, detachably engaging the socket portions in coupling the heel with the shoe and in forcing the heel in the direction of the heel portion of theshoe to insure a close or snug fitting of the heel on the shoe; a further object being to provide an independent coupling on the heel and the heel portion of the shoe for retaining the heel against displacement from the shoe, and particularly in the arrangement of the last named coupling centrally of the inner curved portion of the heel and the corresponding portion of the shoe; a further object being to provide a heel of the class described which is composed of a molded body of rubber having the pins or other coupling elements imbedded therein and projecting outwardly through the inner surface of the heel, the projecting portions of the pins having outwardly flared ends to provide beveled coupling portions; a further object being to provide means for anchoring the pins within the body portion of the heel; a still further object being to provide a heel consisting of separate parts whereby one part only of the heel may be replaced or renewed if desired; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a heel construction for shoes of the class and for the purpose specified, which is simple in construction and practical in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which'the accompanying drawing forms apart, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. l is a side and sectional view through the heel portion of a shoe, showing one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in a different position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper or inner surface of the heel, detached.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a modification.

Fig. 6 is a partial section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig.7 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of construction; and,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the heel shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, I have indicated at It] the rear portion of a shoe. At I l, I have shown a heel portion or mounting member which may or may not form a part of the heel structure, and at 12,1 have shown one of my improved heels. The heel portion or mounting member II is attached to the lower facing l3 of the shoe ill by cementing and/or by a number of nails or other fastening devices It. The member Il may be composed of any desired material, and if sold in conjunction with the heel [2' will preferably be composed of rubber or a suitable composition, whereas, if this member is included as a part of the shoe in the manufacturethereof, it may be composed of any desired material including rubber or rubber compositions, depending entirely upon the desires of the manufacturer.

At this time, attention is directed to the fact that my improved heel construction as a whole may be applied to the shoe in the initial manufacture thereof, and on the other hand, the parts i I and 12 may be applied to an old shoe in the repair thereof. In both instances, after the part or member I I has been attached to the shoe, a heel may be replaced or renewed from time to time in a quick and easy manner. In the use of my improved heels and when the wearer of the shoe is inclined to wear the heels down at one outer edge portion, the heels may be interchanged on the pair of shoes so as to provide a double life, and

this interchanging may be made from time to time so that a substantially even wear will take place about the rear and side edges of the heel to present a. neat and finished appearance at all times. In this way, a substantially double life is given to a pair of heels.

In the use of heels of the kind under consideration and in standardizing the sizes thereof by numbers or other markings, the replacement or renewal of heels may be accomplished by the wearer without the assistance of a shoe maker, it being understood in this connection that the peripheral contour of the inner surface of the heel will at all times match and fit the peripheral contour of the mounting member H when of the proper standardized size.

In the construction shown, the mounting member H has a plurality of socket couplings l5 imtherein.

bedded therein and exposed through the lower surface thereof. The couplings I5 have key-hole openings I6 exposed through the lower surface thereof. The small portions of the key-hole openings are undercut or beveled as indicated at I! to receive the outwardly flared or beveled heads I8 7 of coupling pins I9 imbeddedrin and secured to the heel I2. The socket portions I5 include en larged flange portions 20 which are imbedded in the member II to anchor and retain the sockets These flange portions may be substituted for a single sheet or strip of metal to form one unit of the couplings I5 in the 'manner disclosed in a companion application filed of equal a date herewith. Y

The socket couplings I5 are arranged inwardly of and spaced along the outer boundary edges of the member II with the key-hole openings I6 all arranged in one alinement or positioned longitudinally of the heel, that is to say, with the largev portions of said openings directed forwardly and the smaller portions directed backwardly so that in coupling the heel I2 with the member II, the heel is first placed in the position shown in Fig. 2, and then forced backwardly in thecoupling operation. Centrally of the front curved portion IIa of the member H is a coupling strip 2| imthis coupling operation, one or two fingers of the a latter being also guided by the dies or molds in hand are placed upon the curved inner surface I2a centrally thereof and in alinement withthe coupling 23, and pressure is applied to force the coupling 23'rearwardly a sufficient extent to bring the projection 24 in position to engage the coupling 2I as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, To facilitate this operation, the heel I2 may be pro-. vided with a recess I22) rearwardly of the coupling 23 which will provide greater flexibility to this portion of the heel to facilitate the above coupling operation. However, I have found that in actual use and with rubber heels of certain compositions, suifici-ent flexibility prevails in the heel to provide the coupling operation without the use of the recess I21). Therefore, this recess may or may not be employed.

The pins I9 in the construction shown are made tubular in form simply to. reduce the weight thereof, and it will be understood that in some forms of construction, these pins may be used individually. or may bemounted upon a coupling strip I9a as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the drawing so as to facilitate the spacing of the pins in the form of the heel I2. In the opera! tion of molding the rubber heel I2, suitable means will be provided in the mold to centralize and definitely locate the pins I9 to be consistent with and standardized with the location and arrangement of the couplings I5 in the member II, the

the operation of molding the member II. However, when the latter is composed of unmolded materials, suitable J'igs or fixtures will be em-. ployed to provide the proper spacing and arrangement of the couplings I5, and this is also true with respect to the couplings 2i and 23. In molding the heel I2, a sleeve of rubber will be formed around the beveled surfaces of the heads I8 of the pins I9, this being essential in order to heel may be attached pull the molds or cores, but these sleeves of rubber are readily cut and removed from the heads It so as to expose the beveled surfaces on said heads, which, in conjunction with the sockets I5, operate to draw the heel I2 in the direction of the member II in the coupling operation of said parts so as to insure a snug fit between the parts especially around the peripheral edges thereof. 1 I

In the operation of disengaging the heel I2 from the member II, one or two fingers of the hand is applied centrally of the surface Wu, and this surface is forced rearwardly, and at the same time, said part of the heel is drawn downwardly or outwardly so as to disengage the projecting tongue 23 from the coupling bar 2I, and the heel I2 is then moved forwardly to bring the pins I9 or the heads I8 thereof in the. enlarged portions of the key-hole openings I6, and the heel may then be detached. In this connection, it will be understood that the interengaging surfaces of the parts 2| and 24 may be slightly beveled to insure a positive lock. However, I have foundin practice that perpendicular surfaces are suiiicient, in that these surfaces are engaged under a tension of theheel portion at all times. In the operation of applying the heel to the shoe, the member 24 simply slides over the beveled surface 2Ia of the coupling 2I as will appear from a consideration of Fig. 2 of the drawing. The

projecting tongue. 24. engages the member 2| in a snap or clicking manner, it being apparent that the tongue 24 is forced outwardly'and then snaps inwardly into the recess 22.

When the heel is attached, it cannot become disengaged by any force striking the heel in a forward direction as no such force normally would be suflicient to flex the entire heel sufliciently to move the pins I9 or the heads thereof out of the socket couplings I5. In like manner, no rear; ward force upon the heel would automatically disengage the same as this force is checked by the sockets, and it is only possible to remove the heel by a combination of two forces or move ments, one of which may be definitely applied to the particular area at which the couplings 2|, 24

are located. It will thus be seen, that the heel becomes fool-proof from av standpoint of accidental displacement from the shoe, and yet a and detached in a few seconds.

I F s. '7' and 8 of the drawing, I have shown The sole purpose of this construction; is to, pro.-.

vide an outer heel part 27 which may be re placed or renewed without the renewal of the heel part 25 especially when the part 21 is subjected to wearat the rear or rear side portions thereof. Aside from constructingthe heel 25 of the separate parts 26 and 21, the heel shown in Figs. '7 and 8 will be the same as the heel I2 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. The headed pins 29 are similar to the pins I9, and the coupling 30 is similar to the coupling 23. 3| represents the recess in the heel rearwardly of the coupling'.

In Fig. 7-0f the drawing, I have shown at H cured in position, the same as in attaching the forward portion of the heel I2 as heretofore described. However, in detaching the heel 25, it is essential first to remove the part 26, after which the part 21 may be easily removed.

My invention is not limited to any particular arrangement of the various couplings in the heel and the mounting member on the shoe, as these may be varied to suit heels of difiererit types and sizes, for example, a small womans heel might require only one, two or three of the couplings l5, l9, whereas in larger heels, it would be desirable to use a greater number of these couplings as is illustrated. The shape and contour of the heel may be varied to suit the desires of a manufacturer in the styling of a shoe, and still further, any suitable tread may be provided on the outer or lower surface of the heel, this being shown plain in the accompanying drawing solely for the purpose of simplifying the illustration and to convey the thought that any type of tread may be employed.

The arrangement of the couplings and the form and structure of the couplings may be modified so as to distinguish the shoes of one manufacturer from those of another as well as in distinguishing the manufacturer of one heel from that of another heel manufacturer;

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a shoe having a mounting member or base including a plurality of coupling sockets, forming a flat lower surface to said base, of a heel detachable with respect to said base and including a plurality of coupling elements projecting from the top surface thereof and adapted to engage the sockets in said base to retain the heel against displacement therefrom, part of the coupling elements of the heel engaging and interlocking with the sockets in one directional movement of the heel with respect to said base, another of said coupling elements engaging said base to retain the heel against movement in the opposite direction, said first named sockets and coupling elements including interenga-ging beveled surfaces for drawing the heel snugly upon said base in the operation of coupling the heel with said base, and the heel being recessed adjacent the second named coupling element whereby the flexure of that portion only of the heel including the sec-- ond named coupling element will permit detachment of the heel from said base.

2. A shoe heel for quick attachment and detachment with the heel base of a shoe, said heel having a plurality of independent coupling members mounted in and projecting from the top surface thereof and arranged adjacent the peripheral edges of the heel, said members being in the form of pins having wider anchor portions imbedded in the heel and the projecting portion of said pins tapering from the upper surface of the heel outwardly to form substantially conical coupling ends for detachably engaging couplings on the heel base in the sliding movement of the heel in one direction with respect to said base, another coupling part imbedded in the heel and arranged adjacent the forward curved edge of the heel and projecting above the top surface of said heel, and said coupling part being adapted to be moved longitudinally of the heel base by the flexure of that portion only of said heel in which said coupling part is arranged.

3. A shoe heel for quick attachment and detachment with the heel base of a shoe, said heel having a plurality of independent coupling members, mounted in and projecting from the top surface thereof and arranged adjacent the peripheral edges of the heel, said members being in the form of pins having wider anchor portions imbedded in the heel and the projecting portion of said pins tapering from the upper surface of the heel outwardly to form substantially conical coupling ends for detachably engaging couplings on the heel base in the sliding movement of the heel in one direction with respect to said base, another coupling part imbedded in the heel and arranged adjacent the forward curved edge of the heel and projecting above the top surface of said heel, said coupling part being adapted to be moved longitudinally of the heel base by the fiexure of that portion only of said heel in which said coupling part is arranged, and said heel having a recess inwardly of and in close proximity to said coupling part for facilitating free flexure of that portion of the heel in connection with which said part is mounted to provide quick attachment and detachment of said heel.

4. A shoe heel for quick attachment and detachment with the heel base of a shoe, said heel having a plurality of independent coupling members mounted in and projecting from the top surf-ace thereof and arranged adjacent the peripheral edges of the heel, said members being in the form of pins having wider anchor portions imbedded in the heel and the projecting portion of said pins tapering from the upper surface of the heel outwardly to form substantially conical coupling ends for detachably engaging couplings on the heel base in the sliding movement of theheel in one direction with respect to said base, another couplin part imbedded in the heel and arranged adjacent the forward curved edge of the heel and projecting above the top surface of said heel, said coupling part being adapted to be moved longitudinally of the heel base by the fiexure of that portion only of said heel in which said coupling part is arranged, said heel having a recess inwardly of and in close proximity to said coupling part for facilitating free flexure of that portion of the heel in connection with which said part is mounted to provide quick attachment and detachment of said heel, and the anchor portions of said pins comprising a U-shaped plate imbedded in the heel and coupling and spacing the pins therein.

5, A detachable rubber heel for shoes, said heel having a plurality of couplings spaced along the outer edge portions thereof, for detach-ably engaging the shoe and for retaining the heel against movement in one direction thereon, another coupling comprising a wide flange arranged transversely of and projecting above the upper surface of the heel adjacent the inner curved edge thereof for engaging the shoe to prevent movement of the heel in the opposite direction, the upper surface of the heel having a narrow recess arranged transversely thereof and in juxtaposition to said coupling flange to provide free flexure of that part of the heel in which said coupling flange is secured to provide attachment and detachment of the heel with said shoe.

' 6. A detachable rubber heel for shoes, said heel having a plurality of couplings spaced along the outer edge portions thereof for detachably engaging the shoe and for retaining the heel against movement in one direction thereon, another coupling comprising a wide flange arranged transversely of and projecting from the upper surface of the heel adjacent the inner curved and detachment of the heel with said shoe, said heel being divided transversely into independent front and rear .parts, each having a number of the first named couplings, and the front part retaining the rear part against removal from 5 the shoe.

OSMOND TEODORINL, 

